Fixing AI Slop Is Now a Job, the Ad Campaign to Make You Happier and Pumpkin Spice Faces Competition

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It’s officially September and so in this week’s newsletter you’ll find a deep dive into the curious return of a perplexingly popular flavor: pumpkin spice. As you’ll read, its seasonal dominance may no longer be unquestioned as there are several flavors that might take its place.

In other stories, Heineken delivers with another wonderfully relevant and creative campaign which reminds us all of the power of gathering with friends in-person, and the hot new job of the near future may be hiring designers and writers to fix awful AI-generated slop. Plus, in bonus stories you’ll read about the rise of AI pets, a new spinoff from The Office is finally here, explaining the millennial trend of “the great lock in” and why people are starting to talk like ChatGPT.

Enjoy the stories this week and stay curious!

An Advertising Campaign That Could Actually Make You Happier

You should go out and have a beer. And just in case you need a bit of encouragement, Heineken wants you to go and have a beer too. That seems like a pretty obvious positioning for an alcohol brand, but their ​latest #socialoffsocials campaign​ is just another reminder of how the brand has consistently been sharing this message for decades. I worked on Heineken’s marketing when I was at Leo Burnett Sydney in the year 2000. Back then, they sponsored many live events and focused on how their beer encourages people socializing and having fun. Twenty-five years later they still sponsor events like Formula 1, soccer, tennis and Coachella … and the brand is still about having fun at live events.

The message has a new relevance today as people struggle with loneliness and need more motivation to just go out and put the phone down, as this video linked above humorously points out. Amid ​mukbang videos​ of people eating and “​cake or fake​” challenges, the short video reminds us of the power of choosing to hang out with each other instead of our phones.

One of the most isolating experiences is streaming entire seasons of shows on Netflix. To counter the appeal of streaming, in Brasil, Heineken just launched an advertising partnership with Uber where they are offering ​vouchers for people to pause their shows​, jump in an Uber and go out to meet friends in real life. These ads are targeted to appear during moments within 75 different shows where the characters are in a bar enjoying a drink themselves. It’s a clever way to interrupt someone to remind them that life is out there, waiting for them … if they just choose to get off the couch and experience it.

How Fixing AI Slop Might Be the Next Big Job Opportunity … For Those Willing to Do It

What do you do when your AI generated text or image comes out not quite right? A growing number of people are ​turning to writers and designers to fix that AI-generated slop​ and turn it into something useful. For several years, some people have predicted that the future of these sorts of creative tasks will involve some fusion of AI and talent. In The Future Normal, Henry and I wrote about the trend we called “Augmented Creativity” as a way of exploring this idea too.

This is a related, but perhaps slightly different idea. It’s not so much augmenting creativity or making things in partnership with AI. Instead, it’s more akin to a design version of emergency surgery or a visit to the ER … sometimes with a similar mix of desperation and panic baked into the requests themselves.

The end result is that in the short term this could offer a highly lucrative opportunity for designers and writers who can work under this sort of pressure, are willing to work off of AI-generated fails and have the emotional aptitude to handle these somewhat unreasonable and probably unrealistic sorts of timelines and expectations. If you’re one of those professionals, how do you feel about this? Would you take on work that was initially created unsuccessfully by AI or is that a red flag for you to steer clear?

The Curious Modern Popularity of Pumpkin Spice

It’s September and pumpkin spice everything is there. Coffee, candles, cereals, Oreos, dog treats, gum, ​hummus​ and even ​butt wipes​ (entertainingly rebranded as “Dumpkin Spice”). The inescapability of this random ingredient may leave you wondering why exactly it’s so popular … especially since it doesn’t actually include any pumpkin (the term “pumpkin spice” is used to describe an aromatic blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger).

The credit for its modern appeal ​often goes to Starbucks​ for their invention of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Some reports suggest the real explanation is rooted in a much deeper ​human tradition for using the component spices​ in food and culture. Here’s one particular entertaining theory from ​Delish​:

“Pumpkin spice is how we cope with changing seasons in a chaotic world … Pumpkin spice is how we now mark the passing of time. Or rather, speed it up in order to summon coziness and warmth on our own time. Pumpkin spice absolutely gives people endorphins. Endorphins make you happy, and happy people will not stop buying pumpkin spice items.”

Though I can’t see myself ever putting pumpkin spice in my coffee, this desire for comfort as we roll into the cooler months of the Fall makes sense. Some ​recent consumer reports​ are suggesting that several other flavors may be challenging pumpkin spice this year for the top spot, including cinnamon, salted caramel and candy apple. Another report suggested we have hit “peak pumpkin spice” level and the ​hot new flavor will be pecan​. Clearly there’s a lot at stake here. It’s almost enough to make me feel bad about still drinking my coffee without any added spices. Almost.

The Non-Obvious Media Recommendation of the Week

404 Media

“404 Media is a journalist-founded digital media company exploring the ways technology is shaping–and is shaped by–our world. We’re focused on investigative reports, longform features, blogs, and scoops about topics including hacking, cybersecurity, cybercrime, sex, artificial intelligence, consumer rights, surveillance, privacy, and the democratization of the internet.”

Some of the best media sites out there are created by former journalists at larger platforms and that’s the story behind the founding of ​404 Media​ – a tech site created by four journalists who “until very recently worked at VICE’s Motherboard.” There is something unfiltered that comes from journalists who no longer have to answer to an editorial board and can instead follow their own passions.

The stories from 404 Media do often offer a perspective on technology shifts that is different from what you might read elsewhere. It is indeed unfiltered, and they share their admirable mission to “report and publish stories that you will not find anywhere else, that we believe only we can do. We hope these stories will take over the internet, impact public policy, and expose bad actors.” For all these reasons, this is one tech publication to add to your reading list.

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week

Religion of Sports

Tonight is the opening of the NFL season and a big deal in my house, as well as across America. After twenty years of inept performances, last year our Washington Football Team / Commanders / Redskins made it all the way to the final round of the playoffs and like all NFL fans, we have nothing but hope for the season to come. We are undefeated as of today. The faith in our team, or any other, can feel a bit like religion. That’s the topic explored in my pick for this week’s Non-Obvious Book of the Week, Religion of Sports by Gotham Chopra.

In the book, he explores finding his love of sports and his career as an award-winning sports documentary filmmaker after growing up with spiritual guru Deepak Chopra as a father. His story of finding passion for something unfamiliar to his family and exploration of why sports evoke so many of the same emotions as religion is an illuminating read. If you have ever found yourself having a near religious experience watching a game or just wanted to understand those people who seem just a little too evangelical about their fandom, this book might offer some answers.

About the Non-Obvious Book Selection of the Week:

Every week I share a new “non-obvious” book selection. Titles featured here may be new or classic books, but the date of publication doesn’t really matter. My goal is to elevate great reads that perhaps deserve a second look which you might have otherwise missed.

Even More Non-Obvious Stories …

Every week I always curate more stories than I’m able to explore in detail. Instead of skipping those stories, I started to share them in this section so you can skim the headlines and click on any that spark your interest:

How are these stories curated?

Every week I spend hours​ going through hundreds of stories ​in order to curate this email. Looking for a speaker to inspire your team to become non-obvious thinkers through a keynote or workshop?
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